kentucky kiss cocktail

I haven't blogged in a while, but it hasn't been for lack of trying.

Y'all, I have experienced so many failed cooking & baking attempts recently. It's true.

I wanted to show you a strawberry yogurt bread...

...but it was absolutely tasteless.

Then I wanted to share with you iced strawberry sugar cookies...

...but they just weren't sweet enough.

Are you sensing a theme here? Yes, it's strawberry season, but I was practically wasting an entire container of beautiful, ruby-red berries on one failed recipe after another. And I refuse to post a recipe on here that I didn't absolutely love.

So ten remaining strawberries pleaded with me from the refrigerator to use them with purpose and save them from a fate of the trashcan. And while Husband and I sat reading the last few chapters of our books, Memoirs of a Geisha and The Lost Symbol,* a lovely little cocktail seemed in order.

*I'll let you guess who is reading what.

A little bourbon, lemon juice and honey later, an epic success was shaken up and served chilled--a rather appropriate cocktail, in fact, to usher in Husband's next reading choice, The Wettest County in the World by Matt Bondourant, a true story about moonshiners during the Prohibition.

Whether you're sitting poolside and need a sweet summer cocktail or turning the pages of a favorite book on a lazy Sunday afternoon, this cocktail is meant to be sipped slowly--it has the equivalent of two shots of bourbon, y'all. Slightly sweet and slightly tart, it's the perfect summery boozy drink.

Cheers!

Kentucky Kiss
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Yields: 2 cocktails

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp. (about 10 strawberries worth) strawberry puree *directions below
• juice of 1 lemon
• 6 oz. of high-quality bourbon
• 2 Tbsp. pure honey
• dash of ground cinnamon
• ice cubes and a shaker

Directions:

1. Wash and trim the tops off of your strawberries. Add the berries to a food processor or blender and blend until liquified. 
2. Add your strawberry puree, lemon juice, bourbon, honey, cinnamon and ice to a drink shaker. Shake vigorously for 5-10 seconds and serve immediately. You can garnish it with sliced lemons or strawberries. 

His,
Brittany

garden-stuffed summer yellow squash

My in-laws have a garden, y'all!

Did I mention I love my in-laws?

Yup. Garden or no garden, I love Husband's parents.

The MIL and SIL came to visit this past weekend as well as pick up a new puppy for my SIL. Look at him! Isn't he adorable?

Before we spent the weekend eating our way across Dallas, the MIL dropped off a HUGE bag of fresh veggies straight from the Huber garden.

This is my version of Christmas, you guys. A giant pile of fresh, home-grown veggies.

My head started swarming with ideas of what to do with the baby bell peppers, spinach, yellow squash, zucchini, and radishes. Well, you already know what happened to the zucchini, but this post reflects the delicious fate of the cute little summer yellow squashes.

I came up with this recipe since I had everything on hand. And oh my goodness. This was delicious! I know I use some butter up in there, but you can sub olive oil if you're watching your calories. Otherwise, this is a lovely vegetarian, low-carb treat that perfectly captures the essence of the summer Huber garden.

  
Garden-Stuffed Summer Yellow Squash
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Bake time: 15-20 minutes
Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 8 medium yellow summer squash
• 1/2 cup red or yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped 
• 1/2 cup bell pepper (any color), finely chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 4 basil leaves, chopped 
• salt and pepper
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter plus 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, to be divided

Directions:

1. In large pot, cover squash with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash are tender, about 8 minutes. Drain squash and cool slightly. 
2. While the squash are cooling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat a medium saucepan or skillet over medium high heat and melt 2 Tbsp. of butter. 
3. In a separate medium bowl, add the chopped basil, parmesan and panko bread crumbs. Set aside
4. When the butter has melted in the saucepan, add your onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic and saute 5-7 minutes until soft. Do not let the garlic burn.
5. While the vegetables are softening, trim ends of the squash and cut in half lengthwise. Remove the pulp and then chop it into small pieces. Reserve squash shells and salt and pepper them.
6. Once the vegetables are done, add them to the bowl with basil, cheese and bread crumbs. Set aside.
7. Then add 1 more Tbsp. of butter to the saucepan. Once melted, add the squash pulp and saute it for another 3-4 minutes. Then add it to the bowl of veggies. Mix until well-combined.
8. Spoon the mixture into each squash shell until full. *Seriously, load 'em up. You shouldn't have any extra stuffing.
9. Divide the last 1 Tbsp. of butter into little pats and place one little pat on each squash. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until top is golden.

His,
Brittany 

zucca chips

B & E at our wedding

B & E were two fantastic parts about living in Austin, TX.

B met Husband in 2007 through Hill Country Bible Church-UT. I met E through Husband when he said, "So B's wife is pretty awesome and you should talk to her. Maybe get to know her a little."

E loves C.S. Lewis, deep discussions over good wine & great cheese, traveling, sunscreen, and farmer's markets.

So yes, we hit it off immediately.

One of our favorite places in Austin to venture was North at the Domain. One part Italian, one part "OMG Monday is half price wine bottles and pizza night!" North restaurant made B, E, Husband and I very happy Austinites many a time.

One of their best appetizers was "zucca chips" aka fried, salted thinly sliced zucchini. One bowl=$5.

B is a numbers a guy and he calculated we could definitely do this from home for a better deal. Plus, Husband and I had received a fancy schmancy Japanese mandolin as a wedding present.

So E and I went out while our husbands stayed home to make "zucca chips."

E and I came home a few hours later to a very...bloody kitchen. And no, I'm not British.

My college-educated, 4.0 GPA, brilliant scholar of a Husband decided he did not need the safety guard on the mandolin. And he proudly showed me his pinky finger. It was missing its tip. 

I will spare you the rest of the story as I really do want you to try this recipe despite the story that goes behind it. Just promise me you'll use the safety guard on your mandolin, k?

These pair perfectly with wine if you need a healthier appetizer. Just be careful. They go really fast once they're out of the fryer. Before you know it, you may have eaten 3 entire zucchinis...all by yourself. I speak from experience.

Zucca Chips
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Fry time: 3-4 minutes per batch; makes about 10-12 batches
Yields: 4 servings *eat immediately

Ingredients:

• 6 medium to large zucchinis, washed and dried
• 8-10 cups vegetable oil
• sea salt
• Special tools: mandolin, paper towels, metal slotted draining spoon and a large pot

Directions:

1. Trim the ends of your zucchini. With your mandolin fitted with a straight blade to the thinnest setting, take your zucchinis back and forth on the mandolin to create slices as thin as the picture (see image 1). As a rule, the thinner the better.
2. Heat a large pot of your vegetable oil up to 350 degrees. You pot should be no more than halfway full of oil so that it doesn't well over the pan when you add the zucchini.
3. Once your oil is up to temperature, add your first batch of zucchini. A batch should be about two handfuls of zucchini slices (see image 2).
4. Using a slotted metal draining spoon, spread the slices out so that they are fairly separated from each other. They'll still over lap some; just aim not to have two directly on top of each other. After a minute or so, they'll actually start to shrink as the water evaporates out (see image 3).
5. Allow them to fry for about 2-3 minutes until they become a medium to dark brown (see image 4). That's when they're the best. Don't take them out too early because they'll be soggy or too late aka when they are black.
6.  Drain them on a paper towel and sprinkle a little sea salt on them immediately after they are done frying so that the salt will stick (see image 5). Serve immediately

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His,
Brittany 

black bean, avocado & corn enchiladas with easy mole sauce

I am tired. Dog tired.

Do we know where that phrase originated? I don't, but I do know it looks something like this:

That would be our graceful, yet apparently boneless dog, Savannah.

In additional to an event-filled, crazy work week, I'm also training for a 5K.

Y'all, I don't run. In fact, I'm questioning whether there are some people God has just truly NOT gifted with the ability to run...unless they are being chased.

Nonetheless, I've gotten my butt out on the streets and aimed for 1.5 to 2 miles each time.

So far, it just hurts. No runners high. No euphoria afterwards. But I do like it when my Nike app has famous athletes like Sonya Richards Ross tell me things like "Keep pushing, you're almost there!" or "Good job, you just recorded your fastest mile yet!"

No, I will not share what my fastest mile yet is.

Let's just say it's plenty of time to watch a little less than half of a Friends episode.

Dangit. I've said too much.

So moving on. This recipe is truly awesome for those nights where you're dog-tired and don't want to cook. It's filling, but not heavy. The sauce is homemade and it makes you feel special. Well, it made me feel special. Anytime dinner doesn't come from a box, a drive-thru or a delivery man, I feel special. CS Lewis probably believes "I am far too easily pleased."

But these enchiladas are pretty darn pleasing, friends. Give 'em a try. You can even impress your vegetarian friends.*

*I don't think I have any of those...?

Black Bean, Avocado & Corn Enchiladas with Easy Mole Sauce
Recipe adapted from Budget Bytes
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Bake time: 25-30 minutes
Yields: 8 enchiladas; serves 4

Enchilada Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, rinsed and dried
• 2 small to medium avocados, diced
• 1 small red onion (apprx. 1/2 cup), finely chopped *you could also use green onions if you want a milder onion flavor
• 2/3 cup frozen sweet corn
• 1 jalapeno, deseeded to your heat preference, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• squeeze of lime juice
• 8 flour or corn tortillas *I made a batch of my homemade flour tortillas. Yum! 
• 2 slices (or about 1/2 cup shredded) Monterrey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Easy Mole Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 2 cups chicken stock *could also use veggie stock too
• 6 Tbsp. (or 3 oz.) no salt added tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2. tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 2 tsp. unsweetened dark cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. table salt

Directions:

1.  For the easy mole sauce, heat the extra-virgin olive oil, flour and chili powder over medium heat. Once it starts to bubble, whisk the sauce constantly for 1-2 minutes to ensure the raw flour taste is cooked out. Stream in your chicken/veggie stock while whisking. Bring it up to a simmer and then add your tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and cocoa powder. Whisk until combined and let the sauce simmer until thick, about 3-4 minutes. Once it has thickened, remove it from heat and set aside until ready to use.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, add the black beans, avocado, red onion, frozen corn, jalapeno, garlic powder and lime juice. Mix well.
3. Add a thin layer of sauce to a 9x13 baking pan so the enchiladas won't stick. Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds-1 minute so they don't crack and split when you try to roll them. Fill each tortilla with filling and roll tightly. Place seam side down into the baking pan. Once all the enchiladas are in place, pour the rest of the sauce over the top. Nudge it over the edges of the enchiladas so it's all well covered. Take your Monterrey Jack cheese and spread it evenly over the top. 
4. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake it for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake it for another 5-10 minutes so the cheese can get even more melty and gooey. 
5. To serve, drizzle some sour cream on top and garnish with any leftover filling that may have spilled out.

crockpot greek chicken pitas with tzatziki sauce

Crockpot dinners are da bestest.

In the words of the infamous Sweet Brown, "ain't nobody got time for" slaving in the kitchen 3 meals a day, 7 days a week. Sometimes, short cuts are nice.

This chicken itself has all the simple, classic flavors you'd expect from Greece: all-spice, lemon, and garlic. It would even be great in a salad with feta cheese, kalamata olives, diced cucumber and tomato and a balsamic vinaigrette. But sticking with my string of carb-loaded recent posts, I stuck the chicken in pita bread. And added a creamy tzatziki sauce. Just one bite and it was as if I was here:

Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean

Just kidding. It's a delicious recipe, but sadly, it cannot transport you to Greece. If it could, I'd be peacing out from this crazy work week, with my mouth stuffed with Greek chicken pitas.

Crockpot Greek Chicken Pitas with Tzatziki Sauce
Recipe adapted from The Perfect Pantry
Prep time: 30 minutes
Marinate time: 5 hours to overnight
Cook time: 2 1/2 hours (on low) or 5 hours (on high)
Yields: apprx. 6 pitas 
*Chicken and tzatziki can be made a day in advance

Crockpot Greek Chicken Ingredients:

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (apprx. 1 to 1 1/2 lbs)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced *I used 3 large cloves, but I l-o-v-e garlic
• 1/2 tsp. table salt
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon zest
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 6 pitas 
• Topping suggestions: tzatziki sauce (directions below), shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, diced cucumber, etc. 

Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
• 1/2 seedless cucumber, skin peeled
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• Juice of 1/2 lemon 
• Zest of 1/2 lemon

Directions:

1. Place the chicken breasts in a gallon Ziploc bag with all listed ingredients except the pita bread and toppings. Mix well. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours, but overnight is best. 
2. After marinating, place the chicken and all of the marinade in a 3- or 4-quart crockpot. Cook on HIGH for 2-1/2 hours (or on LOW for 5 hours). 
3. Use two forks to shred the chicken. Mix it well with the liquid and cover and cook on HIGH for 15 more minutes. Set aside and turn off the crockpot.
4. For the tzatziki sauce, peel the cucumber and grate into a fine mesh strainer. Salt it and let it drain for at least 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, press the cucumber in the strainer to get out any excess water. Then add the drained cucumber, the Greek yogurt, dill, garlic, zest, cumin and lemon juice and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  
5. To serve, warm the pita bread and add some shredded chicken, tzatziki sauce, and any other desired toppings.

homemade sandwich bread

This post really isn't meant to gross you out before we even get to the recipe. But it might.

I read an article a year or so ago which highlighted all the gross things we are consuming simply because they are in every day food staples. I always try to read my food labels, but honestly, I had no idea what some of these things were. For example, L-cysteine. It's commonly found in mass-produced breads and baked goods. Sounds like some innocent, tasteless little chemical, right?

Well, get ready for this. L-cysteine is a non-essential amino acid...made from dissolved poultry feathers. In China, it's sometimes even derived from human hair.

Yes, seriously.

L-Cysteine is a dough conditioner which gives your favorite sandwich bread a better texture and more fluffiness.

But did you read the part about POULTRY FEATHERS?!

I don't always make homemade bread, but I sure as heck always buy a bread that does not list L-cysteine (or high fructose corn syrup--why is that necessary in bread?) in the ingredients list.

But this bread is SO easy y'all. Only two rising times, two bowls and one pan. If it saves the feathers of one Daffy Duck or one Chicken Little, I'm in.

Homemade Sandwich Bread
Prep time: 20 minutes
Rise time: 1 1/2 hours
Bake time: 30 minutes
Yields: one 9x5 loaf

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 tsp. white sugar, plus 1 1/2 Tbsp. more
• 3 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. table salt
• 1/4 cup 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup whole or 2% milk

Directions: 

1. Images 1 and 2: In a small bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast and the 1 tsp. of white sugar. Set aside for about 7-10 minutes until the majority of the surface is covered in foam. 
2. Image 3: In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the flour and make a well in the middle with your hands. Into the well, add the rest of the sugar, salt, egg, melted butter, and yeast mixture. Start the dough hook on low. 
3. Image 4: With the dough hook on low, slowly pour the milk in. Allow the dough hook to knead the bread for about 5-7 minutes, until it forms an elastic ball of dough. You may have to tap the sides of the mixing bowl to get the flour to be totally incorporated into the ball.
4. Image 5: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size. While it is rising, grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan.
5. Images 6 and 7: Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and shape it into a log. 
6. Image 8: Place the log into a 9X5 prepared loaf pan. Cover it again with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rise again in a warm place for another 30-45 minutes. While it is rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Images 9 and 10: Once it has risen, bake the bread for 30 minutes until the top has become browned.
8. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. *If you want to use it for sandwich bread, it is crucial that you allow it to cool COMPLETELY before slicing into it. If you slice it too early, it will dry out and will not stay fluffy throughout the week.
9. Note: the bread keeps for about 5-7 days on the counter stored in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in aluminum foil. Keep the end piece and use it as a seal to keep the cut side of the bread moist.

Step by step photos:

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Easy, delicious homemade sandwich bread

homemade plain bagels

I know bagels aren't that expensive and they may seem a little labor-intensive to make yourself, but you know what? I think making bagels is actually kinda fun...

Yes, I said it. Making bagels is my version of fun.*

*I will never admit that at a party, so let's just keep that between you and me, k?

These taste light years better than the store bought ones and I love knowing exactly what went into them: 4 common ingredients that I bet you already have in your pantry. The 5th ingredient is water and I know you have that.

Homemade Bagels
Prep time: 20-30 minutes total
Rise times: 1 hour to 1 1/12 hours
Bake time: 30 minutes
Yields: 8- 10 full-size bagels

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 tsp. dry active yeast
• 2 Tbsp. white sugar (or you can use honey)
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. table salt

Directions:

1. Images 1 and 2: In a small bowl combine the warm water, yeast and sugar/honey. Whisk together and let it sit for 5-8 minutes until the surface is covered mostly in foam.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together 2 cups of your flour and all of the salt. Add the foamy yeast water until the mixture begins to come together. Switch to the dough hook and continue adding the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until it forms a pliable, non-sticky ball. *You may not need all of your flour; I used about 3 1/2 cups. Knead the ball of dough on medium low for 4 minutes. 
3. Image 3: Transfer the ball of dough to an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes, until it has doubled in size.
4. Images 4 and 5: When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and form it into a log. 
5. Image 6: Using a serrated knife or a dough cutter, cut it into 8-10 even pieces.
6. Images 7 and 8: Roll each piece into a smooth ball. Pinch the center to make the hold and begin to stretch out the hole a few inches in diameter. Make the hole bigger than you think because the dough puffs up and shrinks the hole. 
7. Image 9: Place the bagels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil and coat it really well in non-stick spray or oil. *I learned the hard way. I didn't spray the foil and the bagels stuck. When I went to pull them off, all the airy loveliness was disturbed and the bagels deflated completely. Had to start over...very sad.
8. Image 10: Let them rise in a warm place for another 30-45 minutes. Toward the end of the rising, bring a large pot of water up to a boil and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
9. Image 11: When the water is at a full boil, add the bagels about 3-4 at a time, depending on how big your pot is. Boil the bagels for 1 minute and flip them over to boil them on the other side for 1 minute as well. *Boiling the bagels gives them the traditional chewy skin on the outside; this is a crucial step!
10. Image 12: Place the bagels on a wire cooling rack to drain for about 5 minutes. *If you don't use a rack, the bottoms of the bagels will get soggy and mushy. Also, if you want to add any toppings (ex: cinnamon sugar, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc.) now is the time to do it using an egg wash.
11. Image 13: After the 5 minutes is up, place them back onto the baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until the surface becomes a light golden brown. Allow them to cool before slicing. Bagels should last about 5-6 days at room temperature stored in a Ziploc bag or airtight container.

Step by step photos:

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His,
Brittany